Defected former Lagos State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Wasiu Olawale Oluwo, on Tuesday paid a visit to the PDP Governorship Candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, with both agreeing that the state needed to be liberated from its present domination by a cabal.
Oluwo revealed the formation of the “Free Lagos Group” to work in synergy with the PDP candidate’s campaign.
Oluwo was accompanied by an entourage of 10 from the group during his surprise visit to the Ikorodu Road, Obanikoro office of Agbaje, and said that the people had now shown a determination to decide the fate of Lagos and take their destiny in their own hands.
“We are excited about your FREE LAGOS campaign,” Oluwo enthused at the meeting with Agbaje. “The team we have with me is the FREE LAGOS GROUP. The group will work with transparency and integrity, and its impact on your campaign will soon be felt throughout the state.”
Oluwo said the 2019 election would be about the people of Lagos, not about some powers-that-be as usually obtained.
According to him, democracy was under threat and his resignation from APC was both to protest the danger and to protect civil governance as dictated by the will of the people.
“This is not about Jide Sanwoolu (the APC Governorship Candidate), it is about the fundamentals of democracy,” he said, adding that, “Nothing can discourage us from this struggle.”
Referring to the last US elections in which the dark horse Donald Trump defeated the favourite Hillary Clinton, Oluwo predicted that the 2019 elections in Lagos State would be filled with surprises for those who thought they controlled the winning formula.
“Even Trump would have taken a bet that he was not going to win!” Agbaje retorted.
Oluwo said that the people owed themselves the duty to be the structure that would guarantee that the results of elections were a true reflection of their votes.
Expressing confidence that the electoral process had become better with each passing election cycle since 1999, the former Commissioner said that, “If God says you are the next Governor, nothing can stop it, no matter what anybody does.”
According to the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Oluwo, who announced his defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was only returning home to his original party.
Agbaje said: “We should not fool ourselves that it is going to be an easy task. The reality is that we the opposition in the state have not been in government for 19 years, unlike our rivals who have always been.”
According to him, although PDP was not the ideal party, it still had a respect for democracy and was in the process of cleaning up itself.
Agbaje said that Lagos held a lot of opportunities for everyone, even for those who did not hold particular public office.
